TTSO 2017: New Holland T7.225

Boasting the lowest price tag in the Farm Trader Top Tractor Shoot Out lineup, the New Holland T7.225 scored third out of the eight contenders

With its standard wheelbase, the New Holland T7.225 did well in the manoeuvrability stakes, with a tight turning circle of 11.8m and some fancy features for tight headland turns incorporated into the Auto Command CVT transmission.

Comfort was another standout feature, with the New Holland's high-quality seating package scoring a 10. When coupled with the Terraglide front axle suspension and two-stage mechanical cab suspension, the comfort level for operators doing long days is well taken care of. The four-pillar Horizon cab offers plenty of visibility, with new high spec mirrors as standard, while the rear view and low angle wide view allow improved vision for road or implements.

Thanks to LEDs, modern tractors have enjoyed much improvement when it comes to lighting. This is particularly noticeable on the T7.225, making visibility during night-time operations even easier.

If all this wasn't enough to grab your attention, the price tag of $185,624 ensures a lot of bang for your buck. After hooking each tractor up for an independent dyno test by DPS, we worked out that the cost per horsepower comes in under 1000/hp–$987/hp to be precise.

Engine

The heart of any tractor is the engine and the New Holland T7.225 boasts one of the latest released Tier 4B compliant engines.

The six-cylinder FPT engine has a 48-litre AdBlue tank, which uses slightly more AdBlue than previous models, but the trade-off plays out in terms of lower diesel consumption. Based on dyno performance, the New Holland recorded max boosted horsepower at 188.3hp measured at 1000rpm, which falls nicely within the 185hp rated, 225hp boosted manufacturers claims.

Serviceability

New Holland has been a leader in this area for some time, offering 600-hour engine and 1200-hour transmission service intervals, which has continued with the T7 models. The three-year 3000-hour warranty is also a great vote of confidence from the brand.

When it comes to maintenance and serviceability, engine oil is easily checked from the ground on the left-hand side of the tractor without removing any panels. Transmission oil has a clear sight glass at the rear with separate filler. The one-piece bonnet allows access to the radiators and air filter. Up front, radiator packs can pivot out to get between for cleaning, although with the reversible fan and plenty of mesh incorporated into the bonnet design, cooling issues are minimised. The reversible fan can also alter pitch to allow more airflow for greater cooling or less, depending on conditions, thus saving on fuel consumption.

Transmission

Given the requirement for all tractors to have variable transmissions for this year's Top Tractor Shoot Out, both ease of use and functionality were high on the list of requirements when judging.

The New Holland T7.225 did well in both these areas, incorporating good safety features as well as technology and systems to get the job done faster and more efficiently. In this model, you need to press the clutch pedal to engage transmission. This is a safety feature that most other brands have gone away from.

Another feature worth mentioning is the active StopStart, which holds the tractor and prevents roll back on inclines even when loaded. For parking, there is an electronic brake on the shuttle lever, which you can hear engage/disengage.

Three working target speeds allow for the right speed range for the job at hand, and three settings for transmission aggressiveness also allow the operator to set the tractor to the best setting. Fuel savings can be made using the droop control dial to limit upper engine revs, while maintaining the set forward speed. This also works with PTO operation, adjusting how much PTO speed can reduce before forward speed needs to decrease. Four driving modes are available – PTO, manual, cruise, and auto – and ease of operation of this transmission is one of the big pluses of this tractor.

Braking

Being able to stop is more important than getting started, and the T7.225 New Holland has this well sorted. For heavy towing jobs, there are hydraulic trailer brakes. Easily fitted is the option of exhaust brakes, using a butterfly valve to close with a dedicated pedal to control.

This New Holland T7.225 models with 50km/hr tranmission have integrated front brake hubs as another feature. Being able to lock the transmission by pushing the shuttle button provides engine braking, allowing the tractor and trailer to slow at the same time, reducing the risk of jack knifing with heavy trailed implements. The tractor can be optioned with the ABS SuperSteer system making for safer road travel and improved headland turning ability in the field.

Cab

A revised cab is one of the benefits of the new T7.225. Key features include the new lighting package with LEDs becoming standard issue, offering better lighting with lower power requirements.

Up to 20 lights can be optioned, giving 360 degrees of light. Working through the darkness has never been so easy. With long days, operator comfort has also been thought of. The pivoting headrest allows for comfortable seating position to monitor implements at the rear on either side. The cloth/leather seat offers two heating options.

The Horizon cab is a four-pillar unit offering great visibility around the tractor. Creature comforts such as climate control air con along with lighting panel and Bluetooth radio are built into the cabin roof on the right. For contractors, there are additional slots for radio telephone (RT) if required. The one area judges thought was looking a little dated was the large fixed centre dash, which does the job, but is of less importance given the functionality of the 26.4cm wide Intelliview touchscreen monitor, which I tended to look at 90% of the time.

Aside from the monitor, functionality of the armrest controls and control lever are important. The controls are colour-coded with yellow for PTO function and orange for transmission and drive functions. The armrest has an electronic adjustment to suit driver comfort.

The CommandGrip controller is standard across New Hollands, also used in the Forage and Combine harvesters, which makes things simple when operating a variety of machines. Backlight on the buttons also helps with work after darkness. Control for linkage, two remotes, direction as well as speed, headland management and auto-steer, if available, can be controlled without moving your hand from the controller.

Monitor

Advances in technology lead to greater function and options to maximise performance. Major updates to the 26.4cm Intelliview monitor include improvements to headland management programming functions, making things easier, while still giving the option to record these as you go.

All tractor functions available on the centre dash are found in the colour touchscreen of the Intelliview. Tractor monitors have been ISOBUS capable for the last few seasons, allowing implements to be controlled from the tractor without extra monitors. The New Holland T7 Auto Command tractors have gone a step further with ISOBUS III, which will allow ISOBUS implements to control the tractor speed/revs to maximise output.

For example, when baling, sensors on the baler will say when crops are heavier and the tractor needs to slow down or speed up. Pretty clever! The ability to operate three tractors or implement mounted cameras as well as auto-steer guidance systems on one screen is going to suit operations, making the most of these tools.

Hydraulic functions can be set, assigning different remotes to different controls, altering flow rates to make operation as simple as possible.

Hydraulics

Neither the 21-tonne Herron trailer nor the 3.5m Sumo Trio disc harrows tested put the hydraulic systems under pressure. The measured oil flow of 92 litres/min (tested by DPS with a hydraulic flow meter), should be sufficient for most tasks. Lift capacity of 3.5 tonnes at the front and 8.25 tonnes at the rear should be plenty for implements mounted to a tractor of this size.

Working results

The T7.225 was mid-range in several aspects in our lineup of Top Tractor Shoot Out tractors. However, it did manage to come out at the top of the field in the efficiency stakes, recording 0.186 litres/hp/hour. Despite not being the biggest or heaviest tractor there, it still handled the heavy Herron silage trailer well, showing good acceleration with a full load and smooth handling characteristics. The optional exhaust brake would be the only real improvement that could be made here.

The change to rear ladder hitch is a new feature offered by New Holland on this range of tractors. The large ball coupling system is becoming favoured, particularly in baling and other PTO drawn implements, as it helps reduce the slop in connection, decreasing wear and tear on the tractor, implement, and drive shafts.

The 3.5m Sumo Trio is a sizeable piece of machinery. That being said, on the flat Canterbury paddock we had for testing at Kirwee, it performed well under the conditions. Being able to shift hydraulic remote functions around to suit is a handy feature. Headland functions are all easily programmable through the monitor, making headlands no drama at all.

Options

Depending on your planned usage, the T7 series comes ready to spec up to suit your requirements. The addition of exhaust braking is easily added, which is helpful in transport applications and improves safety while operating on the open road with heavy loads.

Being guidance system ready makes the addition of this technology easy to fit to increase productivity in the field, saving on inputs and increasing accuracy. As this isn't an overly heavy tractor, weighing in at 7340kg, you aren't carting extra weight you don't need around. For tillage applications, ballast can easily be added through tyre weights and front weight pack options. Tyre standard set up is Michelin 650/65 R36 rear and 540/65 R28 front. These can be changed to suit individual requirements.

Verdict

The top end of the tractor playing field is highly competitive as our Top Tractor Shoot Out proved. We found the New Holland T7.225 to be an excellent all-round performer from specs and pricing to performance and driveability. With the sharp price offering a decent bang for your buck and horsepower for your dollars, the New Holland is well worth considering for your arable farm operation or contracting work.